Flamingo protests escalate in Albania
Protests in Albania turned violent Wednesday night as rioters attacked government buildings and set storefronts ablaze in the capital, Tirana. More peaceful demonstrations began several months ago, triggered by opposition to a luxury hotel development project led by President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner that would have displaced local flamingo populations. But the protests quickly took on broader frustrations over graft in what is one of Europe’s most corrupt countries — Albania scores just 39 out of 100 on Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index. Protesters are now calling for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign, but he has so far refused. Albania has been seeking EU membership since becoming a candidate in 2014 — and has been in direct talks since 2022 — but concerns over graft, organized crime, and money laundering have long hindered its bid.
North Korea and China open long-delayed bridge
Originally slated for completion in 2014, the span over the Yalu River was for years an unfinished bridge over troubled waters as ties between the two close allies frayed. China, the main economic lifeline for a deeply isolated North Korea, was irritated by Kim Jong-Un’s increasingly assertive nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions, and by his deepening ties with Russia. But things are on an upswing again as Beijing looks to shore up a critical regional alliance that Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong once described as “as close as lips and teeth.” Last year, bilateral trade neared $3 billion, a return to pre-pandemic levels, and in June, Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first visit to the North Korean capital in seven years.
US states sue OpenAI over self-harm risks
Eight US states, led by both Democrat and Republican administrations, sued OpenAI on Wednesday, alleging that its ChatGPT chatbot advises users — including children — on how to hurt themselves. The lawsuit is the first of its kind brought by states against an AI company. Attorneys general from Kansas, Iowa, Montana, and five other states want courts to force the company to infuse its AI models with “human values” and to pay damages. OpenAI says “no system can be perfect” and that it is building in additional safeguards. This isn’t the first time OpenAI has faced such accusations. Ahead of its upcoming IPO, a slew of lawsuits allege that ChatGPT has helped users plan acts of mass violence. The litigation will establish critically important precedents for liability in AI, especially as tech companies grapple with the moral implications of products that mimic consciousness.
